Rinya Nakamura was submitted by Brady Hiestand in the second round at UFC Vegas 121 on Saturday, September 26, 2026. Two days later the Japanese bantamweight wrote on Instagram that he refuses “to ever experience a feeling like this again.”
A rear naked choke at 4:07
The bout pitted a Road to UFC season 1 winner against a finalist from The Ultimate Fighter 29, which Cageside Press billed as an unofficial battle between the two pipelines. Hiestand hunted takedowns in the first round while Nakamura landed body kicks and hooks. In the second, Hiestand escaped a clinch against the fence, took the back with both hooks and a body triangle, and finished with a rear naked choke at 4:07. Sherdog notes Nakamura closed as a -325 favorite.
Second loss in three fights
Nakamura drops to 10-2, and 3-2 in the UFC per Sherdog. A freestyle wrestler since age five, he won the 2017 U23 world title at 61 kg before switching to MMA in 2020, and has trained at American Top Team since 2025.
In his post, relayed by Sherdog, he said he would “return having forged a martial arts style that is purer, more righteous, more beautiful, and stronger.” No return date has been announced. More results from the card are on our UFC results page.
